COLUMBIANA, Alabama -- The Shelby County Commission is
expecting to hear by the end of the month whether the federal government has
approved a grant that will provide funding for three full-time school resource
officers.

A draft memo provided to commissioners at their meeting
in Columbiana this morning indicated the federal grant would total $240,000 for
the three positions. The grant would provide 75 percent totaling $180,000 and
require a local 25 percent match of $60,000.

The County Commission and the Shelby County Board of
Education are planning to split the required location match with each entity
providing $30,000, according to the memo.

The federal grant would provide funding for three years
with the fourth year requiring full funding of the three positions to come from
the participating entities.

The potential funding would be in addition to the overall Safe
Schools Initiative plan involving the commission, the Board of Education and
various municipalities in Shelby County to boost law enforcement in public
schools.